THE LEAD:DeAndre Grange (Teaneck, N.J.) ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns to lead Dean College to a hard-fought 19-13 win over Anna Maria in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) action on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to the start of the contest, Dean honored its three student-athletes playing in their final game – Rickey Benson (Depthford, N.J.), Decory Francis (Manchester, N.H.) and Bret Williams (Essex, Mass.).

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The AMCATS opened the game with an impressive drive on the ground and when Alex Cohen outraced the Dean defense up the right sideline and into the endzone, Anna Maria had a 6-0 lead - and it stayed that way after their extra point was blocked by David Marino-Silver (Tampa, Fla.).

After a quick three and out by the Bulldog offense, the AMCATS were on the move again, this time marching 71 yards on 11 plays in a little under seven minutes. Cohen looked as if he was headed for his second rushing score of the first quarter, but Shannon Moxey (Marietta, Ga.) ripped the ball out of his hands at the goal line. Gene Baisden (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up the ball and returned it 33 yards to thwart the scoring attempt.

Dean didn't get on the board until early in the second quarter when a 28-yard punt return by Errol Breaux (Marietta, Ga.) set up the Bulldog offense deep in Anna Maria territory. It was all Grange on the drive as he ran four straight times, finally finding the endzone from three yards out and a Jacob Bisson (Barrington, N.H.) extra point gave the hosts a 7-6 lead.

After several empty possessions by both teams, Anna Maria took the lead before halftime when they went 41 yards in eight plays capped by a Noah Vinci one-yard plunge to send the visitors into intermission in front, 13-7.

Dean opened the second half with a game-tying drive that featured a fourth-and-1 conversion by Grange and the eventual score came on the legs of Grange who powered his way into the endzone from 13 yards out.

More empty possessions by both teams including turnovers by each left Dean with the ball on the five-yard line after Marino-Silver picked off his second pass of the game.

The Bulldogs put together an impressive 13-play, 95-yard drive that ate up more than six minutes off the fourth quarter clock and when Grange found paydirt off the left side from ten yards out, Dean moved ahead, 19-13 after Kai Nero-Clark blocked his second extra point of the game.

Anna Maria did get the ball back two more times – the first was derailed by a Maceo McClain (Wellington, Fla.) sack that led to an eventual punt. The second one came with just 32 seconds left. They did advance the ball to midfield, but on a short pass to James Cavallo, he was tackled inbounds and time ran out.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:Terrell Watts (New Haven, Conn.) was an efficient 15-for-28 for 154 yards under center for Dean, while his counterpart, Cohen, fared better on the ground, totaling 72 yards and throwing for 114 yards but a pair of interceptions.

Coming off of his monster performance a week ago, Moxey ended with a game-best 12 tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Bulldogs, while London Chambers (New Britain, Conn.) ended with ten tackles of his own.

The win for the Bulldogs ends their season at 5-5 overall and 4-2 in league play and they will enter the 2019 season riding a three-game winning streak.